Korean Baseball Odds & Picks: Bears, Wyverns Listed as Heavy Favorites on May 7

• While North America remains largely sports-free, the Korea Baseball Organization is back in action
• The 10-team KBO, which is being played without fans, administers regular COVID-19 testing to players
• Take note, bettors: we have live sports to watch. This is not a drill!

Some good news — finally — in the world of sports has come in recent days with the return of the Korea Baseball Organization. Now, bettors and fans alike have real baseball to watch, root for and bet on. The start times for most games are completely unorthodox for North American viewers, but hey, we’ll take what we can get.

The 10-team KBO is just getting started, with the third day of games set to begin on Thursday (it’ll be evening in Korea, but early morning in North America).

Here’s a look at the slate of games ahead:

KBO Odds: Thursday, May 7

Odds taken May 6.

It’s important to keep in mind that each team has played only two games so far. Therefore, the sample sizes are microscopic. But using a combination of numbers from this season and last, we’ll analyze which games/bets you should have your eyes on.

Heroes For The Sweep

The Kiwoom Heroes are gunning for a sweep against the Tigers, having beaten them 11-2 and 3-2 so far. The Heroes are a legit power in this league — they made the finals last year, winning six of seven playoff games along the way.

Won-Tae Choi vs @Kiatigers, last season. pic.twitter.com/YEW8eMsH7e

— Kiwoom Heroes (@KiwoomHeroes) May 7, 2020

They’ll send Won-tae Choi to the mound, who is only 23 and getting better with age. He had a 3.38 ERA in 27 starts last year, his fourth professional season. He also limits free passes, with a career 2.3 walks per nine innings.

KIA’s starter, Min-woo Lee, has a 5.72 ERA and 1.693 WHIP in three KBO seasons. This one could get ugly.

Pick: Kiwoom Heroes, -1.5 runs (-115)

Trust The Champs

The Doosan Bears, last year’s KBO champion, surprisingly split their first two games against the LG Twins. But the Bears are the titans of the league, having reached or won the championship in each of the past five years, and that reputation should mean something.

2-Run Home Run by Choi Joo-Hawn

Doosan Bears lead 5-0 over the LG Twins#KBOONESPN #KoreanBaseball #KBOESPN pic.twitter.com/DmbC2v1Fvz

— Isiah (@TheIsiahNunez) May 6, 2020

The Bears feature last year’s hits leader, Jose Fernandez, who is off to a nice 4-for-8 (.500) start this year.

The Twins will start Chan-heon Jung on the mound, after Jung found success in a very limited sample size last year (1.64 ERA in 13 relief outings). But Jung hasn’t made a start dating back at least to 2014, and he only has one prior season with an ERA below 4.40.

Pick: Doosan Bears, -1.5 runs (-120)

Ride The Hot Hitter

In the lowest-scoring series in the league, the Hanwha Eagles and SK Wyverns have scored only 10 combined runs in two games (3-0 win for the Eagles and 5-2 win for the Wyverns).

Yes! My (today) beloved Hanwha Eagles win their #KoreanBaseball opener 3-0 off the strength of a Warwick Saupold 1-hitter. #KBOLeague pic.twitter.com/No8dzPBkIk

— Harold R. Kuntz (@HaroldRKuntz3) May 5, 2020

The Eagles face a tough starter in Game 3, with SK’s Jong-hoon Park. he posted a 3.88 ERA in 28 starts last year, though that might be a tad misleading given his 1.500 WHIP.

For Hanwha, the key to winning this series might be the bat of Kwang Min Song, the league’s hottest hitter. He’s 5-for-7 (.714) with a home run, two doubles and a walk so far. One or two swings from Song could make the difference in this one. But it’s still advisable to stick with the under on run total.

Pick: Hanwha Eagles, +1.5 (-120); under 9.5 runs (-120)